BAGHDAD, IRAQ - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Karkh District Council, neighborhood councils, and the U.S. military, opened the Al Shawakeh Fish Market today to stimulate employment and business opportunities in the community.

In his remarks at the opening, USAID Deputy Mission Director Thomas R. Delaney said, "The revival of this market shows how committed the Iraqis are in seeing their economy-and people-recover and grow." He also said he hoped that the market will be seen as a center of community pride and prosperity

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's first foreign trip involved several Asian countries and also included a site visit to a USAID project in Indonesia. During the day she spent in Jakarta, she met with the President, Prime Minister and Secretary General for ASEAN. As part of her ongoing dialogue with Indonesian counterparts, she repeatedly emphasized the need for cooperation and the importance of development.

DAKAR, SENEGAL - A focus on vulnerable and street children, a new curriculum to promote good governance, an emphasis on developing stronger relationships with the private sector, and a initiative to promote wireless Internet access, are part of a new, five-year basic education program launched this week by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Senegal.

The $40 million program will be implemented in 10 of 14 regions in Senegal. Working closely with the Ministry of Education, USAID will:

Bogotá, Colombia - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Colombia is launching an initiative to market high-quality, socially-responsible Colombian products for retail sale in the United States.

USAID facilitated an alliance between Tecnovo, an NGO that provides support to people affected by armed conflict, and Grower-2-Buyer, a Miami-based company which distributes fresh-cut Colombian flowers to 174 wholesalers and 11 supermarket chains in the United States and Canada.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The collapse of the health system has left the people of Zimbabwe at great risk of contracting illnesses such as cholera, which claimed more than 3,400 lives, and increased the threat of a malaria epidemic.

To help mitigate a malaria outbreak, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting emergency indoor residual spraying to fill gaps in the country's traditionally strong malaria control program.

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing assistance after a caterpillar infestation in Liberia has destroyed crops, contaminated water supplies, and temporarily forced residents from homes and farms in three counties in northern and central Liberia, particularly Bong County.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Secretary (ES) Alonzo L. Fulgham has been designated by the White House as Acting Administrator of the agency. Fulgham also serves as Coordinator of the Agency's Transition Efforts. He has served as the COO and ES since August 2006.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) continues to provide assistance to the people of Zimbabwe in the aftermath of a widespread cholera outbreak that began in August 2008. USAID is consigning nearly 440,000 bars of soap-valued at nearly $365,000-to the U.N. Children's Fund, which will provide it to humanitarian organizations to distribute as part of hygiene education programs in areas most affected by the cholera outbreak.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Barack Obama rescinded the Mexico City Policy on January 23, 2009. USAID is implementing this change immediately and issued an official notice informing its field offices worldwide. Additional specific guidance for USAID agreements officers will be issued later today.

The U.S. Agency for International Development is working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support the Cereals Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), a program that will help more than six million small farmers in South Asia achieve significant cereal yield increases over the next ten years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Center for Faith-Based & Community Initiatives and Sister Cities International announced the launch of Community Connector (C2), a web-based platform that will pair U.S.-based organizations and communities with NGOs, nonprofits, and community organizations overseas in need of physical resources, services, and expertise.

On her second day on the job, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) headquarters to address the USAID staff and underscore her support for the Agency's work as "an equal partner, along with defense and diplomacy, in the furtherance of America's national security."

Bolivian newspaper El Diario named the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) the "Organization of the Year" for the second consecutive year. According to Jorge Carrasco Guzman, general manager of El Diario, USAID was recognized in 2007 because of the Agency's strong support for Bolivia's development. Carrasco noted the paper decided to recognize USAID again in 2008 because, despite fragile bilateral relations, the United States continued its significant development support to Bolivia through USAID.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum of Innovation, have signed a partnership agreement that will allow the two organizations to seek technological innovations, support the work of their creators, and apply the results to pressing social and economic challenges around the world. The agreement was announced in conjunction with the Development 2.0 Challenge Awards Ceremony hosted by USAID to honor the finalists of its first-ever open source Challenge.

USAID Administrator and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance Henrietta H. Fore named RapidSMS Child Malnutrition Surveillance the winner of the Agency's first Development 2.0 Challenge. The project, which will receive a $10,000 grant, is a startup from six graduate students at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Kirsten Bokenkamp represented the group at an awards ceremony held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., while three of her teammates were in Malawi building the project.

The United States Government, through the US Agency for International Development, continues to deliver humanitarian supplies to the people in Gaza. During the week of December 29, USAID has provided badly needed medical and food supplies to health care facilities in Gaza, including syringes, tubes, gloves, x-ray film, tape, silk for sutures and bedding (mattresses, blankets and linens). USAID continues to work with international organizations operating in Gaza to prepare additional assistance for health care facilities in Gaza.

From Andrew S. Natsios, USAID Administrator

The United States and Afghanistan share the conviction that along with democracy, a free and robust economy is vital to an enduring, sustainable peace.”

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Government affirmed its long-term commitment to Afghanistan with the announcement of new public/private-sector initiatives designed to encourage international investment and the full participation of women in the growing economy.